
So you’ve booked your flights…. you’re ready to cosplay, eat pocky, and go to akihabara where you will procure the latest and greatest in fan fiction. You might even hit up a maid cafe while you’re at it.
Before you get ahead of yourself, here are the top 5 Japanese phrases that you can get around without being a toolbag.
1) 一つ ください (hi – to – tsu ku-da-sa-i) ——-(or if you’re a hick “he tote sue koo duh sa ee” but like fast and stuff)
This phrase is used in combination with pointing at something that you want to order or purchase and saying hitotsu kudasai. it literally translates to one please.
2) すみません sumimasen (sue me ma sen if you’re an american dummy)
Sumimasen is a polite form of saying sorry, the english equivalent would be pardon me. You can use it as a way to get a waiter / waitress’ attention by shouting sumimasen in a restaurant. It can also be used to express an apology when you step on someones toes in the subway or bump into them on the street. It’s a polite way to say sorry.
3) ちょっと chotto (cho toe if you’re a fool)
Chotto means a little bit. Its useful for when you want to describe how much mayonaise you want these insane maniacs to put on your pizza. (they really do put mayonaise on pizza…. google it.) But it can also be used when you want to decline something, useful if you’re a girl and some guy is hassling you to take your picture. Just lightly say chotto and roundhouse kick the dude in the mutton chops.
4) びる おねいがいします - biru oneigaishimasu (beeru oh neigh guy she mah sue)
Self explanatory, beer, very useful, Japan has a large beer culture, many opportunities to ask for beer. Not really many uses for this one, but very important as some japanese will not understand if you pronounce it with an american accent. As an aside, try adding u to most things (pronounced oo) about 10% of japanese words are english words with u added on the end. Source: My Imagination
5) えきわどこですか - eki wa doko desu ka (eck ee wah dough koe dess kah for all of you foolios)
Where is the subway station. Very useful if you’ve had a lot of beer. You can use this grammar structure – place wa doko desu ka to ask where anything is. Very useful if you know the name of the place in Japanese.
So what do you think? What word would you add. Leave a comment below!
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